The Secret of Persuasion
by Romianne
Summary: Bella had left Forks years ago because of the way her mother disappeared. But when Charlie falls ill she returns to find nothing has changed. Except for a new family in town. Can they help her uncover the truth about her past?
1. Persuaded to return

Chapter 1: Persuaded to return

Everything looks the same. How can 3 years go by and nothing has changed? Sitting next to Jacob is different. He has turned into a fine man while I was away. He can't stop talking, can he? "He'll be so exited to see you. Maybe a bit too exited, you know, with his heart and all." Of course I knew, that's why I'm here. But I keep that snide remark to myself and smile kindly. I have discovered that helps. I have been away for 3 years, to Europe for my studies. I wanted to get out of Forks as soon as possible. So after graduation I packed my things and told Charlie I was going to study abroad. He didn't know what to say, I could tell he was hurt.

But I couldn't get the memory out of my head. "I'll come for you when the time is right.'

"We are here!" Jacob shouted in my ear, he was a bit over exited too. Still I couldn't help but smile. He was a man now, and a gorgeous one at that. "I'll pick you and your dad up in an hour. Is that ok? I have to run an errand first." I couldn't blame him for leaving, I hated hospitals too. "No problem. I'll make sure we are ready to leave." OK. Here it goes. Breath in, Breath out. You can do this. There probably won't be blood in the entrance hall. You can make it that far. And then you'll find a nurse and she'll escort you to Charlie. No problem, no problem at all. The typical hospital scent came rushing at me, I felt weak in the knees but kept going. Keep going, almost there.

"Please sir, could you tell me where I can find my dad. He was admitted for a heart attack and is being released today." But my breathing compromised my speech and stability. My eyes are on the ground the whole time. "Sure, walk with me." Now that is a calming voice, he could persuade me to give blood. I better start focusing though… Going further in the hospital maze. I could hear him laughing around the corner. Thank god he is ok.

"Hi dad." No, I could not have been more original. "Bella, is that you?" He got up from the bed, "My god, you have grown." I walked towards him, he had changed too - he was a lot skinnier, and he had grown a beard. We hugged for a moment, uncomfortably. It has been a long time. Who am I kidding; it had always been a bit uncomfortable. Hey, who knew, I could focus again. Enough to notice we weren't the only ones in the room. "Bella, meet Dr. Cullen. He saved my life." The most beautiful eyes looked back at me, a strange liquid topaz. "Hello Bella, nice to meet you finally. Your father has told a lot about you." I could feel my head go red, why does my body feel the need to react? "I bet." And smiled… "I must leave, there are other patients. Goodbye Bella and I will see you next week Charlie!" He could persuade me to give my organs.

I sat down next to Charlie. "How are you dad?" "Ow, I'll survive. Just getting out of this hospital is going to do me a lot of good." How could I forget. The last time we were here together we left someone behind. "Jacob is picking us up in a minute." He smiled, but it looked more like a silent sigh. "That is great! We can watch the game at the reservation. Just like in the old days, right hun." I remember the old days at the reservation. I never really fitted in with the kids. Jacob was always nice. But then again, I am sure he had a secret crush on me.

I helped Charlie get all his stuff and got the wheelchair. I knew he would never sit in it but I couldn't resist. "Right dad, your taxi has arrived!" Not a second later Jacob poked his head in. I saw Charlie beginning to sputter but Jacob gently pushed him in the wheelchair. I couldn't suppress a giggle. Charlie looked at me with his 'I'll get you for this look' but I could tell somewhere he found it funny. For a moment it felt like I was 5 years old and mom and I where making jokes at his expends. The old days. Jacob wheeled my dad out of the hospital. I saw Dr. Cullen talking to a man at the reception desk. Just to be sure: "Dr. Cullen. Could I ask if there is any diet or something I need to put Charlie on? I know he will never tell me the truth so I thought I better ask you!" Wow, coherent speech, good job Bella. Dr. Cullen smiled his smile again. "It is best he stays away from to much fat or salty food at least a couple of weeks. And he could use a little exercise now and then."

He lost me. Next to him stood a man prettier than himself. He had the same topaz eyes. Could they be brothers? He looked at me like he was in pain. _Are you alright? _I wanted to ask but understood that was a dumb question. I swallowed my words but for a split second I could swear he answered me with a small nod. "Bella?" Of course, I forgot to answer, "I will make sure of that, thank you so much." But while I said this my eyes did not leave his companion. How could I? He could persuade me to give my life.


	2. Persuaded to stay

Chapter 2: Persuaded to stay

I never had trouble with getting my way. When I was little I realized soon that my will was the law. We would often play hide and seek on the reservation and somehow I would never be the one who had to seek.

Even the reservation looks the same. Maybe not so strange as most of it is nature. Nature has a way to reserve and restore itself. I could see Jacob had informed the rest of civilization that I was coming. Apparently, they didn't feel the need for going into hiding. I stepped clumsily out of the car. Wow, they have all gotten big. I could swear I was looking at an American Rugby team by the size of these men. A beautiful girl with long black hair came towards me. "Hey Bella, so nice to see you again!" It was Emily. I played with her one or two times when I was younger, I remember she pulled my hair once. She took me inside Billy's house where there was a gathering or so it seemed. It still smelled the same. Good food. The women were already in the kitchen cooking away. I asked if I could help but I was shuffed towards the couch where Jacob was already relaxing with his family and friends.

They are all really nice people but what I need now is sleep. And alone-time. Just leave me alone. Jacob still couldn't stop talking, or glancing my way… Fortunately I have the gift of blacking stuff out. So before I knew it, we were in the car ride back home. Jacob offered to drive us back but I already made different arrangements with Emily. She made the evening a little more pleasant with here kindness. And she sat down right in the middle of me and Jacob, that helped.

I have made the decision to stay a while. I enrolled in a few classes at college so I could stay busy. I can't leave Charlie alone, what if it happens again? I will never forgive myself if it happened again and I wasn't here. Ever since mom left us the dynamics had changed. I took care of us from a young age and I didn't mind. But I knew I would get out of this situation as soon as I could.

Community college wasn't that bad, there were some pretty decent teachers and the students were nice enough. The first day Eric came to me in an instant. Like he could smell new blood. "Hi Isabella Swan. We have all been expecting you." "It's Bella… and wow, that is creepy." He laughed at that, "I didn't mean to be creepy. But when the daughter of the chief of police returns from her European tour, you can't help but wonder!" I had to give him that. Would I know anybody here? I was always kind of an outsider in high school. Maybe I'd recognize some faces. Eric gave me the grand tour which ended in the cafeteria. I met his friends who weren't that interesting either. No, I do not use make-up on a daily bases. No, I will not put that in my hair. Yes, it flows like this naturally. There was one nice girl in the crowd. Her name was Angela. She was the only one who asked if I missed Europe. She seemed sincere about her questions. Time flew by and I already had to go to my next class. I stood up only to get knocked down again in a glance. He was here. His scared face had changed into a concerned one. He stared right back at me. How can he be so blunt? Stop looking at me. He immediately looked away. No wait. Who are you? But he kept moving out of the cafeteria. "Don't even bother with him, he finds himself way to pretty for any of the girls here." The tall blonde girl at our table snapped. What was her problem? I could only guess she threw herself at him and he refused. Good job Topaz.

Next class was business dynamics. The classroom was almost full so I had to sit in the front. He kept talking and talking. He is not making any sense. He must be joking. My hand went up automatically, "Excuse me." He looked up surprised, "Yes..." "I don't agree." "What do you mean?" "I mean I don't agree. Your assumptions are not based on any of the facts that I know and …" But he interrupted me, "Miss, this is not a discussion class. I came here to teach." "To teach yes, not to recite. I was only asking for a clarification!" "You can do that after class. Now, let me teach!" "You can't be serious, sir! If you are a respected teacher you will not flinch when I question your methods. You will try to persuade me to see things your way!" "As I said before, this is not a discussion!" "Well then I am out. And for all of you students: I suggest you do the same if you have a mind of your own!" I stood up and walked out of the classroom. Why does my mouth always speak before my mind can grasp the idea of my actions? Now what… I slammed the door and stood alone in the hallway.

"Nice argument." Now I flinched. "Ow, hey." It was the guy from the hospital. My god his eyes where intriguing. How could anyone ever get anything done with him around? He smiled a crooked smile. "I took your advice." Get over it Bella. "Ehm, yeah I can see that. Very good." Say something deep. "Now what do we do?" he asked. "Well, maybe we can have a sincere discussion about the subject." Clever Bella. "I would rather discuss something else." Was he flirting with me? The whole time his eyes never left my face. Damn it, my face had to react to my thoughts. My face probably matched my red jacket. He started walking towards the entrance. There really was nothing better to do but follow. I had no idea where he was going but I was still intrigued. Once we were outside he stopped his pace "I can see someone has different plans for you." and left. He was to fast to follow or ask questions. What did he mean? Did I say something? Did he realize I didn't say anything deep? I walked towards the parking lot. I know that car - It was Jacobs's car. How did Topaz know he was here for me? "Hey Jake. How are you today?" he opened the door for me, "I thought you might want to go for a ride, check out the scenery. Beats being in class right?" Apparently so. I stepped in and must admit, it immediately felt familiar. Was he growing on me already? He does have this rash quality about him. He started talking about the years I missed. As I predicted - nothing happened. Without me noticing I found myself in deep conversation with Jacob about my experiences in Europe, what I was going to miss - and not. The people I met and what I learned. He was really interested. Before I knew it we were out of the car and walking in the woods. I always loved to roam these woods with mom and dad. Until that unforgettable day. Jacob forgot it though. He looked at me as I stopped mid sentence. He looked at my face, which must have read terror on it because he reacted so fast I can't be sure what exactly happened.

This was the place where it happened 11 years ago. I was 10 years old. My parents and I went hiking in the woods all the time. We would take a backpack and stuff it with everything we felt like that day - it always included chocolate muffins - and pick nick in the meadow. One day my dad couldn't get out of work and me and my mom went alone. It was the most beautiful day. The sun was shining and the meadow looked like a fairytale.

"Bella, are you alright?" Jacobs face still looked scared. For me? I am ok, I didn't get hurt. Not me. I still couldn't speak but I nodded slightly. He picked me up like I was a leaf and carried me back to the car. I couldn't even object. How can this still haunt me? It has been over 10 years. It should have been locked away somewhere save.

We were almost done with the chocolate muffins and were making cartwheels in the grass. Out of nowhere two men appeared. Everything is blurry from that point. It either happened really fast or I am missing some pieces. Before I know it my mom got dragged away screaming my name. Telling me to run. But even as a little girl, I got intrigued fast. One of the men was looking at me directly, blood in his eyes. The other man was shouting something I couldn't understand. But I couldn't get my eyes of the man who stood only inches away now. "You are special. I'll come for you when the time is right."

"Jacob." It wasn't even a question. I was glad he was here. He was so warm. I think he held me for at least half an hour before I could muster my speech again. "It's ok Bella. I'm here with you. You are safe. I'll take you home now."


	3. Persuaded to ask

Chapter three: Persuaded to ask

"I'm here with you. You are safe now sweetie." They took me to the hospital. But I was fine. Charlie looked at me with a broken heart. He didn't understand what was going on. He thought mom had died. They found her blood in the meadow. But I knew better. They took her. "You may cry now sweetie, no one is going to hurt you." But I didn't cry.

Jacob carried me to bed. It was 4 pm but I was fine with it. I lay there half unconscious for hours. Never forgetting those blood red eyes. I fell asleep and dreamed a lifetime. Something in my dream startled me and I awoke with a gasp. Something moved in the corner. Topaz? When I turned on the light the image was gone. Was I still asleep? No. I walked to my window. It was already dark outside, the clock read 11 pm. It was a cool night. Maybe a stroll would be exactly what I needed. I still had most of my clothes on so I stumbled down the stairs. Charlie had fallen asleep in front of the tv. Without a sound I closed the door behind me. "Hey." His voice startled me - but somehow I wasn't surprised he was here. "Hey." A weak sound escaped my mouth. "How about that discussion you wanted so badly." He said with his crooked smile. Why are you here? It is almost like he knew I needed someone to talk to. Someone who didn't know my past. He kept staring at me. It made me uneasy. "I realized I don't even know your name." Why am I always so direct? "My name is Edward Cullen. But I doubt that will make any difference when we talk." "Maybe not, but I like it when I can hold someone responsible for their actions. I find that hard without a name."

He led me away from my house and into the streets. "Yours is Bella, I know that much. What I don't know is why you are so interesting to me." I didn't know that either. "You are special Bella, but you don't seem to realize it." No. Not that word again. He stopped walking as I stopped. "What is wrong, Bella?" Don't call me special. "Why don't you want to be special?" The meaning is different to everybody. For me it most likely means death. His eyes never left mine. He didn't understand - but it looked like he was trying to. "Bella… I," But he didn't finish his sentence. In my head my mom was screaming, the man looked directly at me, telling me I was special. "Maybe this was a mistake." His face was full of recognition. And off he went again. Not again. You can't do this to me. "Stop!" Of course my nerves got the best of me and tears were slowly rolling down my cheek. "Don't leave me." He didn't move. I think he didn't understand why. "I'm not the only one who is different am I." The words came out of my mouth but I myself didn't even fully understand them. "I'm so sorry Bella…," I moved closer to him. We were only a few inches apart. His face turned away, he looked like he was struggling, like the first time our eyes met. I wanted to kiss him so badly. I was drawn to him. He met my eyes again and told me no. He didn't know me that well, I don't take orders. I give them.

His lips were cold as marble but his kiss was so tender. I expected him to resist me but he passionately returned my kiss. I felt his tension disappear the moment our lips met. His hands moved slowly in my hair, moved over my face and brushed my tears away. My body reacted to his every move. I couldn't control myself and found myself throwing myself at him. His lips, his hands were all I could think about. But then his lips froze, I opened my eyes and saw the expression on his face. It wasn't lust, it was pain. What happened? Did I bite him? "Bella, what are you doing to me?" He looked like he was going to collapse. "Edward, I don't understand." I closed my eyes for a second to grasp what just happened and when I opened them he was gone. I was alone a few blocks from my house. Confused I returned home. How could I have hurt him? I know I can be persuasive but I can't make someone kiss me, can I?

It had been a long night. I decided I needed some sleep and returned to bed one more time today. I fell into a heavy sleep. I dreamed about the night my mother was taken away from me. But this time everything was different. Instead of the man with red eyes, it was Edward who looked right at me. "Edward…" The words escaped my mouth before I awoke. When I opened my eyes the sun had already risen. I slept late; I forgot to set the alarm clock. I rushed out of bed and jumped under the shower. The water was comforting. Time past. When I looked at my hands they looked like dried peach skin. Guess it's time for me to dry off. It was already 11 o'clock when I got dressed. No need to hurry today, I was already late for class. I ate breakfast slowly and thought about my day planning. This meant I had the whole day to myself. That was rare these days. I couldn't think of anything to do. I sure as hell wasn't going to stay home. I got my jacket and left the house. Without a sense of direction - literally - I went for a walk.

It lured me to it. It was calling. Like there was something still left unsaid, undone. I stood at the meadow, letting the wind play with my hair. Taking my scent god knows where. He knew exactly where he was taking it. "You can't be here."

"Neither can you." I didn't know then how right I was. There was something in the air. Lurking around the corner. I turned around facing him. "Why did you leave." I found my voice steady and cold. I didn't know what was getting into me, but I was angry with him for some reason unknown. He shifted slightly in his spot. He hesitated again. Would he run away again? Why did he come in the first place? What does he want? He just kept staring at me. Like I already knew all the answers. But I didn't. I never felt so alone, so helpless. Just tell me! I wanted to shout at him. I wanted to go over there and hit him, push him, get him to talk. The image of this played over and over in my head. Until the Bella in the image sank to her knees. What happened here so many years ago? Something tells me, he knows the answers. "Just tell me."

"You have some idea of what happened. You are not that far off." At this point I didn't know what I thought anymore. I put it away for 10 years and now it hit me like a meteor. I went away to Europe to escape my past. Not to be found. Now it was my turn to stare. I kept my mouth shut. Talk. "She was taken. She is not alive - or dead. She stands above any human classification of life." Talk. "The men who came after you. They were vampires. They took her with them and changed her, into one of them." A million thoughts and images went through my mind. My face remained blank but still he found it necessary to stay silent for a while. My thought calmed down. Talk. "They took her to their home in Europe. Italy to be exact." "How do you know all this?" My voice was less steady but still as cold. He took a step towards me. His arms where hanging helplessly around his body, like they didn't belong. "Because Bella, I am one of them."

My heart stopped. His eyes. His touch. He was different from those men. I knew it. I felt it. How? "I am a vampire too, Bella." There was nothing in the world that could assemble the thoughts in my head right now. Everything I ever believed in, life - death, everything in between. There was a cheat. A way out. Why though? Who thought of that? Who would want to live forever? Living off of the blood of others. How? How could Edward kill anybody? At this thought my eyes met his. He looked so scared, so innocent. Like a men who lost everything. "I have lived a different life than the others of my kind. My creator Carlisle, the doctor, has lived on animal blood his whole li… I joined him and his family. We live like vegetarians now." He raised his eyebrows and smiled a small smile, hoping I would understand his little joke. He took another step towards me.

We stood there silent for a while. His hand touched my face. Stroked it with the back of his hand. His touch was so gentle. I couldn't get myself to speak just yet. Then it struck me. Will they know? Will they come after me? My eyes shot up at his. He shushed me "Calm down, they won't hear it from us." He just…. "You can hear my thoughts." "Yes." He answered abruptly, like he knew I couldn't wait to hear the answer. I knew it. Tiny gestures can't always go unseen. "You are very perceptive Bella Swan." With this new discovery it all didn't seem so dramatic. It was so unreal, so far away, that I could handle it all. A wave of content came washing over me. I knew what I had to do. I got a hold of his hand, still floating somewhere around my face. "I can't be here anymore." He collected his own thoughts and let go of my hand. "I know. I'll miss you." I could feel his hand on my face for days. He'll never know.


	4. Persuaded to surrender

Chapter 4: Persuaded to surrender

Life went on like nothing happened. I slept again. Remembered to set my alarm clock. Went to class and took care of Charlie. Life happened. Right in front of my nose. And for a while I made sure I kept my nose out of it. Charlie was spending a lot of time at the reservation and slowly I found myself enjoying myself when I was dragged along. I could carefully say that Emily and I became friends, sort of. And mysteriously Jake was keeping his distance. Which of course, drew my attention straight towards him. Women. With everything in the past maybe I should start to think about living again. And Jake was so alive, so strong. I hadn't seen much of Edward since that day. I saw him sometimes in class or with his brothers and sisters in the cafeteria. Apparently I was also in a class with his sister, Alice. Who kept glancing my way. But never spoke to me. I guess Edward told them to keep their distance. When we bumped into each other it would seem like we had never met. But within me and him the world would stand still for just a second. We would only allow ourselves a second. Until one day we were in the cafeteria not so far apart. A girl was breaking up with her boyfriend in the most outrageous way. Apparently he cheated on her - the whole school knew he wasn't a trustworthy person. I couldn't help but laugh at the stupidity of it all. That girl actually thought she had him to herself. My thought wandered off, wondering how their relationship would have been like. I laughed at the idea and so did someone else. I looked around and found Edward smiling with me. He looked guilty and quickly turned his head away. It's ok. Wow, it is weird to send thoughts directly at you… I thought about this before, as you might already know. I never forgot what you can do… It's ok to listen in sometimes.

Honestly, it made me feel not so alone. I didn't make friends that easily. I know I could trust him and wouldn't abuse his gift. Slowly we became something more than strangers. I learned to read his face; he would answer my questions or ramblings with a little smile, a smirk a little nod. So in class I made sure he was always in my eyesight. We knew we could never be friends openly. The thoughts about my past were still on my mind and I couldn't loose myself in a friendship when I knew what he was, I was too scared.

Meanwhile my life went on. "A penny for your thoughts?" Emily was pinching my arm. I smiled, thinking that would do it. "Thinking about a guy?" she said with a smile that could have easily been turned into a giggle. I couldn't help but join her. "Maybe… you should sit next to Jacob at the feast." "Is that so… And why is that?" It turned into a giggle, "Come on Bels, I see the way you look at each other! I knew my trick would work!" "Bels?" She threw my little objection out of the window and grabbed my shoulders. Then it dawned on me, "You! You made him ignore me!" I couldn't fight the full on smile that appeared on my face at this point. I grabbed her shoulders as she had grabbed mine and we stood silent for a second, staring into each others eyes. Playful smiles on our faces. "I can't believe you did that… Better yet, I can't believe it worked!" She smiled with me, "Me neither! You are not as smart as you look." she said with a wink. The power struggle was over and I released her first. She had won this round. We walked towards the party together, both knowing I was going to sit next to Jacob. It was an annual party at the reservation apparently. Me and Charlie were invited as close friends. Everybody participated in some way or another. Except for me, but Emily ensured me that was no problem. I wouldn't know what to contribute, except maybe make one of their own a happy man…

"You girls finally done powdering your noses?" We met up with Sam on the way to the beach. They really went all out. The beach was full of people and colored lights. I saw Jacob talking to Embry and Quill, two of his friends. Better go right towards my goal. The conversation went quiet when I arrived "Hey guys. Talking about me?" The all laughed nervously. Wow, they really were. "Nice of you to come, Bella." What's up with the formalities, Jake? There was some small talk until we smelled the food from the barbeque. The guys were almost sprinting to the tables. It was a lovely evening; there was a calming atmosphere around this place. You couldn't help but feel serene and one with all the history that took place here. Unfortunately there was no seat available next to Jacob so I chatted with Sam and Emily. After the party everybody went and sat around the fire they made. It was tradition that the elders of the families would tell stories about the old days. I was looking around for a place to sit when Jacob bade me over to sit with him. I was always fascinated with legends and folklore so I was excited about what I would hear about this place. Jacobs's father, Billy, began telling a story about their ancestors. Pretty soon I started realizing the myth might not be so far from the truth.

The Quileute tribe has lived here for centuries. When an enemy appeared the men of the tribe were slowly transformed into shape shifters to protect the tribe. The enemy was described as The cold ones. I flinched. Jacob looked at me and took my hand "Not much for ghost stories huh." They could not be killed, only when the men would transform into wolves could they be harmed. The tribe made a pact with the cold ones and they could no longer hunt or walk their land. The way Billy was telling the story made you feel like you were really there. I couldn't help it, in my head Edward en Carlisle were taking lead in this story, as the cold ones. Could it have been… Do they know they are still here? Unintentionally I started squeezing Jacobs hand harder and harder until he put his arm around me. It shook me awake.

"Let's go for a walk. It might calm you down." He said in a low voice. Maybe I could learn more from him so I went with him. Emily's eyes met mine and she winked at me, she probably thought we were romantically sneaking away. I smiled a small smile and followed Jacob. "It's just a story Bels, don't think too much of it." "Not you too." I said with a sigh. "What do you mean?" He didn't know what he did wrong. "I prefer Bella." He started laughing, "Emily keeps using it around me, I guess it caught on." "So, you two talk about me.." He looked a little shy "Yeah, you come up sometimes." I wondered. "When is that?" I know I shouldn't pry but if I wanted this to go anywhere, this would be my best shot. "Come on Bella, you must have noticed I liked you. You know, maybe a bit more than just friends." Was that a butterfly in my stomach? Since when was he so blunt? I was smiling now. "Yeah I noticed."

We kept walking for a few minutes without speaking. I guess this wasn't the time to ask about the myth. I didn't notice until I heard voices but we walked back to the beach. Why couldn't I make a move at him, he wouldn't mind! There was something stuck in my throught though. What if it was Edward and his family all those years ago? I had so many questions. It seemed wrong to kiss Jacob tonight. We drew closer to his family and friends when my body suddenly began to act on its own. He had gotten so big that I had to stand on my toes to get close to his face but when I got there I just closed my eyes and let my intuition find his lips. He immediately put his arms around me and lifted me a little so I didn't have to stretch that much. I could feel the warmth of his body warm mine. It was so different than kissing Edward. I can't believe I'm thinking of Edward right now… His lips were so soft and planted sweet kisses on mine.

Suddenly I awoke and realized there were people not so far away from us. I pulled my lips away for a second. He wouldn't have it though and pulled me even closer. I played along for a while. It had been a while since I kissed a man so passionately. Our breathing sped up and our hands were everywhere, searching for an unknown drug on each others bodies. I really had to stop now. I pulled myself away so fast I almost fell to the ground. We had to take a moment to realize what just happened. "Ok, so ehm, we better get back to the others." was all I could manage. "Wait. We should talk about this." Damn, I was hoping we didn't have to. I didn't know what I wanted. I wanted normal. I deliberately stayed away from Edward just to fall into the hands of a shape shifter, or so the legend goes. What am I to do? "Jake, I..." I started a sentence not knowing how it would end but Jacob interrupted me. "I don't care what this was. I felt so good. Please Bella, don't over think this." How could he tell I was doing just that? It did feel good though. It was Jake. How could this not be good? I decided not to think about this again tonight. I took his hand and started walking back to the beach. He smiled at me, his eyes twinkled. I just hope I don't break his heart.


End file.
